Maddening
by fyd818
Summary: A slightly alternate version of movie events wherein Alice is imprisoned with the Hatter in the Red Queen’s dungeons… Hatter whump; rating for violence and dark themes. AlicexHatter
1. Part I Frabjous Eve

Disclaimer: I don't own _Alice in Wonderland_. The rights to that belongs to Lewis Carroll, Disney, and Tim Burton. I am writing this fic for entertainment purposes only, not monetary gain.

Summary: A slightly alternate version of movie events wherein Alice is imprisoned with the Hatter in the Red Queen's dungeons… Hatter whump; rating for violence and dark themes. AlicexHatter

Rating: T

Warnings: Violence, torture, dark themes

Pairing: Alice/Hatter

**Special Thanks**: Once more goes out to _jewel of athos_, who not only beta'd this fic, but also inspired some of it, and helped immensely with the whumping and the keeping my facts straight. Thanks, twin sis! -hugs-

**Author's Note**: This originally started out as a two-page piece of fluff that rapidly grew a mind of its own, and wound up 14 pages. This is a slightly alternate version of events, though some of it will be familiar from the movie. It draws off events from both the movie and the book (which I recommend, definitely, if you enjoyed the movie -- there's a lot more of the Hatter and Hatter/Alice in it). Some parts of it might seem a bit disjointed, but I wrote it that way deliberately, since Alice is less than with it during those parts of the story. This is the first time I've tried to write something like this, so I _really_ hope you all like it. Thanks for checking my story out! ~fyd

**-Maddening-**

_~Part I~_

Frabjous Eve

_fyd818_

"Down with the Bloody Big-Head," Alice Kingsley grumbled to herself. She had not truly understood why everyone kept saying those words until she had witnessed the Red Queen's cruelty for herself. And here she was, in that woman's court, a favorite! The only thing that saved her was the White Rabbit's calling her "Um," and her own quick thinking.

But despite how macabre the Red Queen herself was, Alice had noticed someone who was even worse, and his name was Ilosovic Stayne, the Knave of Hearts. The moment his one eye had rested on her, a chill had gone straight up her spine and encased her heart. The Red Queen was horrible, always calling "off with his head!" or "off with her head!" But at least she was straightforward about it. The Knave was sneakier -- and Hatter had been at his mercy for too long.

The moment she was able to escape the Red Queen's fawning attentions (curse that _Upelkuchen_ for making her so big!), she set out to find where exactly he'd been taken. His talent with his tongue and his hands had saved him, for now, but she needed something a little more permanent. She needed to get him as far away from Stayne as she could, preferably sooner rather than later.

It took her a few minutes, but at last she found the White Rabbit. He was hiding in a little alcove, shaking and shuddering, obviously trying to make himself invisible, though that was quite impossible. "McTwisp!" she called. "There you are! Where is the Hatter?"

He hesitated, staring at her with frightened eyes. "I-In the Red Queen's dressing room," he stuttered nervously. "He is making hats with great haste."

Alice took only a moment to thank him before she took off for the room with great haste. She had been taken there earlier, when a dress had been fashioned for her out of curtains, since there was nothing else large enough to clothe her now huge body.

For a moment she stood outside the door, hand on the knob that was almost too small for her overlarge hand. Nervousness was welling up into her throat, forcing her to swallow it back. After the state she had seen him in earlier, she wasn't sure what to expect now. Had Stayne gotten to him again? Or was he (at least for now) safe while working on the Red Queen's hats?

_Well, I'll never find out just standing here,_ she thought. Drawing in a deep breath, she turned the knob and allowed the door to swing inward.

The first thing that captured her eye was the sheer volume of fabrics crowding every available space in the room. The riot of color, patterns, and materials was, at least at first, a bit overwhelming.

Then she finally caught sight of the Hatter, who had been lost in the general shock for a moment, since he was rather colorful himself. The only thing marring his appearance was the sturdy chain that ran from the shackle around his ankle to a thick ring in the wall. Sliding the Hatter's Hat, which she had retrieved from the garden, behind her back, she crept across the room and set it on the divan to present to him later.

She should have known she couldn't startle the Hatter, not even when he was so obviously immersed in what he was doing while humming a merry tune. "They're all so beautiful," she said.

Hatter glanced at her over his shoulder, smiling briefly before going back to his work. "It feels good to be working at my trade again," he said. It was amazing how many fabrics and tools he could juggle all at once. He truly was a master at his work.

"You shall have to make me one someday," she said, brushing her fingers over the feathers of one, and lifting another to admire the delicate, swirling patterns stitched into it.

Hardly skipping a beat, Hatter reached out, plucked the one she'd been admiring out of her hands, and put it upon her head. "It shall be something like that one, I should think," he said. "Though it will be bluer, to match your dress. Yes, bluer. With some silver, and maybe a few pins. Yes, that sounds right…"

It was amazing. She had come to cheer the Hatter up, but here he was, cheering _her_ up. Reverently taking the hat off, she set it aside. "I look forward to seeing it," she said softly.

He mumbled something, but she didn't catch what it was. Sighing, she leaned over his shoulder again, for a moment watching the way his nimble fingers worked needles, scissors, thread, and fabric, all without dropping a stitch or poking himself. She could never work a needle without winding up with little bloody holes all over her fingers from where she had repeatedly poked herself with them. "It's just a pity you have to make them for _her_," she said. If there were anyone who less deserved one of the Hatter's fabulous creations, it was the Red Queen.

Suddenly he stiffened. His back went straight, and his fingers relaxed, dropping what he'd been working on. What part of his face she could see was suddenly filled with a remorse and self-loathing that surprised her. One of the things she had so admired in the Hatter was how comfortable he was in his own skin, how freely honest and happy he was.

"What is the hatter with me?" he murmured, then seemed to realize what he'd said. "Hatter… Hmm. Ma-Matter. Madder." And then, in that second, he snapped.

With a sudden cry of rage, he swept his arm across his worktable, scattering pins and needles and fabric. Somehow during his swing, he'd managed to snatch up a pair of scissors, and Alice stepped back as he swept past her, burying the blades in a dummy that he then pushed over.

"Hatter!" She tried to get his attention, but he didn't hear her.

He grasped the apron he'd been wearing to protect his clothes in both hands and tore it off with a loud ripping sound. More hats and dummies and fabrics went tumbling as he angrily charged his way across the room, shouting things she couldn't understand. Abruptly he hit the end of the chain's reach and nearly fell, but he was still trying to keep going. Alice knew she had to stop him before he hurt himself.

"Hatter!" she called again, grabbing his arm and spinning him to face her. She took his face in her too large, too clumsy hands, shocked at the color of his eyes. They'd gone from fluorescent lime to an orange so deep they were almost red, twin flames that immediately faded the moment he saw the expression on her face.

"I don't like it here, Alice," he whispered. "It's terribly crowded."

She felt a twang in her heart, and she longed to hug him. But she was too large, and it was beyond frustrating. For a brief moment, she wanted to have a fit of madness like Hatter's and see if just maybe it would help her feel better.

"Have I gone mad?" His eyes were round and frightened as he stared at her. He was already mad, she knew, but it was a good kind of mad. She knew he was asking her if he had somehow become the _bad_ kind of mad. But he could never, _ever_ become like that, she knew. He was too good for that.

Alice lifted one shaking hand from his face to rest it on his forehead, as her father used to do to her when she was little and asked him the same question. "I'm afraid so," she said softly, trying to keep the tremor from her voice. "You're mad. Completely bonkers. Off your head."

Worry flickered through his eyes, which lightened in color, closer to yellow than green.

Returning her hand to his face, Alice allowed a smile to curve her lips. "But I'll tell you a secret, Hatter. All the best people are."

Hatter's eyes once more glowed happy green as he smiled, muscles relaxing at her assurance. He looked more himself again, though there was still something missing…

Alice reached behind her, able to get what she wanted without moving since she had such unnaturally long arms now. Picking up the Hatter's Hat, she settled it atop his head, smiling at the grin that brightened his face when she realized what he was doing. "There," she said, satisfied. "Now you look yourself again."

Suddenly his eyes turned speculative, and his smile faded. "Why is it you are always too small, or too tall?" he sighed. "Never the right-proper Alice-size." He captured her hands in his as she started to withdraw, though hers dwarfed his considerably.

A sudden warmth fluttered in her stomach, mixed with a yearning so strong it surprised her. There was something in his strangely-colored eyes that stirred inside her an echo of something she didn't entirely understand, but rather liked.

Hatter leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Listen, Alice. I've learned _she_ keeps the Vorpal sword in the palace somewhere. You need to find McTwisp -- he'll take you to it. You need to get it, and then take it to the White Queen."

It took less than a second for her to realize that he wasn't counting himself in this plan. "We'll take it to the White Queen together," she said fiercely. After all he'd done for her, she wasn't going to leave without him. The whole point of her coming to the Red Queen's lair, after all, _was_ to rescue him.

He shook his head. "Frabjous Day is quickly approaching," he said, sounding more serious than he ever had. "It is imperative the Vorpal sword be ready to defeat the Jabberwocky at that time."

Alice spun around, looking for something amid the Hatter's disorganized tools. As many as he had, there had to be _something_… Ah! There. She plucked up a hat pin and knelt next to him, inwardly cursing her clumsily large fingers she worked at the lock on his restraints. "You can help me find the Vorpal sword," she said, "and then we'll take it to the White Queen." It all sounded incredibly sensible to her.

Hatter seized her shoulders and pulled her up so he could look her in the face. His eyes were dark bluish-green with anxiety. "You cannot risk being caught," he said. "You must go. Immediately. Get the sword, and go to Marmoreal."

She had to fight back the urge to stomp her foot. "It'll go faster if two people are looking for it, rather than one," she said, trying to come up with _something_ that would convince him to let her release him so they could _both _escape.

"Another person could also slow you down," he said. It was a maddeningly logical thing for him to say.

Everybody was trying to tell her what she could do and what she couldn't do. Well, she was tired of it. This was _her _dream, and she was going to do what _she_ wanted in it! And at the moment, what she wanted was to free the Hatter.

Suddenly the door across the room from them slammed open. Alice lifted her head so quickly she almost connected with Hatter's, since he was leaning over her.

The Red Queen was standing in the doorway, her face turning almost as deep crimson as her hair. "Um!" she cried, staring wide-eyed at her new favorite. Her eyes darted between her and the Hatter, narrowing quickly in suspicion. Then she lifted up her finger, pointed at them, and screamed at the top of her lungs, "_Off with their heads!_"

The Hatter was immediately in motion. Gently shoving past Alice, he snatched up two bolts of fabric from the table, got a good grip on the ends of them, and then threw, unraveling them as they flew across the room and knocked into the card soldiers just entering the room past the Red Queen, who ducked away, still screaming. Alice was able to reach out her arm and sweep away another three who were trying to creep up on the Hatter.

"_Run!_" Hatter shouted at her. "Dannae jus' stan' there, girl, _run_!" His eyes were blazing orange with anger, and perhaps a bit of protectiveness as well.

Alice hesitated. She knew she needed to get the Vorpal sword, like Hatter said -- even if she didn't use it, someone else could -- but she couldn't just _abandon _him. Especially since the Red Queen had just threatened to have his head removed.

Her moment of indecision proved to be her downfall. Five or six card soldiers got good grips on her, and despite her size, she couldn't shake them off. Hatter was still fighting quite valiantly, all things considered, but he was extremely limited because of the chain around his ankle. Soon he, too, was subdued.

The Red Queen glared at them both stormily, her face as red as her hair. "Throw them both in the dungeon!" she shouted. "They shall be beheaded first thing in the morning!" Then she whirled around and started to leave, then turned back and said, "And get Um some _pishalver_. She doesn't deserve to be large any more." She stuck her nose up in the air, then stomped off.

_Oh, what have I done now?_ Alice mourned quietly to herself. _This is certainly _not_ how to go about saving Underland…_

One look at the Hatter's downcast expression and grey eyes clearly said that he thought so, too. She had just lost the one person in Underland who truly believed in her. _Now_ what was she going to do?

* * *

Alice and Hatter were quickly deposited in two cells in the dungeon, then left alone to their separate recriminations. The only comforting thing was that there were bars separating their cells instead of a solid wall, so they could at least see and reach through to each other.

"I'm sorry, Hatter," she whispered. He was sitting cross-legged in the exact center of his own cell, Hat resting next to him on the floor. He was very carefully not looking at her, despite the fact that she was crammed up against the cell bars as tightly as she could get herself, trying to reach out to touch him. The tips of her fingers managed to miss his arm by four or five maddening inches.

"Nobility is an admirable thing, Alice," he finally said. "But sometimes you have to sacrifice one small thing to save the large majority."

A chill snaked up her spine and settled around her heart. "Are you calling yourself one small thing?" she demanded.

He looked up with a small smile. "In the grand scheme of things? Yes, Alice, I am. Ever since the Bloody Big-Head seized control of Underland, we've been waiting for the Frabjous Day to arrive, so you could slay the Jabberwocky. The Red Queen's jealousy of her little sister cannot prevail, Alice. Too much is at stake."

Alice wanted to bang her fist against the ground. "I refuse to save the world but not you," she growled. "I dreamed us into this mess, and so help me, I will dream us out of it."

This time Hatter did look up with a small, timid smile. His eyes were dark, dark green, and the shadows around them looked harsher than normal. "You still think this is a dream, do you?"

"What else can it be?" she asked. "It seems impossible that this is real."

A small, humorless smile curled up the corners of Hatter's mouth. "That would mean I'm not real, then."

That stung. "Well -- yes." It hurt to think of him as not being real. She _wanted_ him to be real, even if the rest of it wasn't. He was the dearest friend she'd ever had, and she didn't want to lose that when she woke.

"Then perhaps you can wake and get us out if this," he said. But his tone was listless, as if he didn't believe what he was saying.

Footsteps came closer, and Alice looked past Tarrant to see Stayne approaching, a small bottle in his hand. He reached between the bars of her cell and set it down, then backed away. "_Pishalver_, by order of the Queen," he said.

Shuddering at the hungry, wicked gleam in the man's one good eye, Alice crept forward and snatched up the bottle. She knew she had to drink it in moderation this time, for she had to be careful to get back to her "right-proper Alice-size," as Hatter called it. Uncapping the bottle, she raised it to her lips and trickled a little bit of it into her mouth, swallowing the bitter liquid as she capped the bottle. She felt herself shrinking, and smiled a little as the dimensions of the cell came into their correct proportions, though she had to place a hand against her dress to make sure it stayed in place and protected her modesty. It was a pity her clothes did not grow and shrink along with her body…

Stayne reached through the bars and snatched up the _pishalver_ as soon as she set the bottle down. Undoubtedly he didn't want her shrinking to a small enough size that she could wriggle through the bars and get free. Tucking it into his pocket, he eyed her speculatively for a moment, then moved over to stand in front of Hatter's cell.

"I have plans for your girl, here," he said. "No sense in her pretty little head going to waste before it's taken off, don't you think, Hightopp?"

Alice felt her stomach roll with revulsion and fear, but Hatter's reaction was both amazing and terrifying.

In the span of a blink he was up and across the cell to the bars, where he reached through and grabbed Stayne, who had been pacing back toward Alice's cell. Clutching the man's shoulder with one hand to hold him still, he locked the opposite arm over the Knave's throat, choking off his air supply. "I shoul' like the Bloody Red Queen to 'ear those words, Knave," he hissed in the other's ear. "Righ' 'afore I rip out your throat and feed it to the Jabberwock."

"_Hatter_!" Alice cried out. It wasn't so much that she was shocked or offended by his words, it was more that she was afraid of what would happen to him. Stayne was putting up quite the struggle, and he'd managed to get his elbow between the bars so he could press it right into Hatter's stomach to rob him of his air.

Almost immediately she saw his body relax, and he stepped back, though she noted absently that he'd still placed himself in front of Alice, so Stayne couldn't see her with his direct line of sight. She reached through the bars and brushed his shoulder, though she wasn't sure if it was assure herself he was all right, or to thank him for what he'd done. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

Coughing and choking, the Knave stumbled back a few steps away from the Hatter's cell, hands massaging his throat as he glared at the now once more docile madman. "You will pay for that, Hightopp," he growled.

Before either of them could react, he had Hatter's cell open, and was advancing upon him. Alice fisted her hand into Tarrant's coat, trying desperately to hang on to him, willing herself to be able to pull him backwards through the bars and into the relative safety of her own cell.

But only a second later he was gone from her grip, from her reach. Stayne had grabbed him by the front of his shirt and thrown him across the cell, backing him into the corner. He advanced, a cruel smile on his lips, an even crueler gleam in his eye.

"Hatter!" Alice gripped two of the bars separating their cells and shook them desperately, hoping she could somehow break through and get into the other cell so she could intervene. "Knave, don't you touch him!" She shook the bars again, but they didn't even rattle.

Stayne barely glanced at her over his shoulder. "Don't worry, my dear, _you_ will be next. Just be patient and wait your turn."

"_Nae_!" Suddenly Hatter was in motion again, flinging himself at Stayne. He surprised the larger man, but not by much. Though the Knave fell back a step, he quickly recovered, driving Hatter back so hard there was a sickening _thunk_ as his head impacted the rear wall of the cell, which was made of stone. Dazed, he blinked sluggishly, his eyes once more fading from orange to green as he sank to the floor.

"_Hatter!_" She pressed herself as closely against the bars as she could and stretched out her arm, but she couldn't reach him. She couldn't even reach Stayne, whom she very much wanted to hurt right then.

His eyes met hers past Stayne's leg, and she could see that he was trying to silently beg her not to make trouble. He was deliberately trying to keep the Knave's attention off her, to save her…

Silently grinding her teeth, Alice stubbornly pushed harder against the bars, hoping desperately that they'd break.

Stayne reached behind him, to a hook on a his belt. He retrieved something and pulled it around his body, holding it out as he loosened his hold on part of it, letting the rest unwind until it hung down almost to the floor. He held the grip between his thumb and palm, and Alice realized what it was with a chilling start. She'd seen that thing before, or something like it. The carriage drivers used them to make a snapping noise at the horses, to get them moving. But she had never seen it actually used on a living creature before, let alone a _human_…

_A whip._

Hatter once more looked at her past Stayne. He met her eyes steadily and firmly, without fear, and mouthed five words that made her want to scream. _Whatever happens, do not watch._

She shook her head once, sharply. Her throat was growing tight, and she felt the prickle at the back of her eyes that warned her of the tears building up there. She opened her mouth to scream, but she couldn't get the sound past her throat. It came out as a strangled sob instead. _Hatter…_

"_Look away!_"

Alice obeyed the Hatter's order, spinning and squeezing her eyes shut (more to hold in the tears than anything else) a mere second before the first crack of the whip sounded right behind her.

_This is a dream, this is a dream, I can get us out of this! All I have to do is _wake up! Desperately, she lifted her right hand to her left arm and pinched herself, just like her father had shown her.

Another crack of the whip.

_It didn't work!_ This time she squeezed the skin of her arm between her fingers so hard her pale flesh turned red and she wanted to scream with the pain.

Another snap of cord meeting flesh…

Alice let out a strangled scream, slamming both fists against the cell floor in frustration. The pain in her arm from the Bandersnatch's claws, which had been a dull, throbbing ache until then, flared, and she growled.

_Shk!_ This time there was the smallest muffled sound to accompany the whip, and she knew it was the Hatter, finally reacting to the incredible pain she knew he had to be undergoing.

_Why_ couldn't she wake up? _Why_ couldn't she save Hatter from this? She _had_ to save him!

_Because,_ the part of her mind that had always somehow believed whispered, _Underland is real. Stayne and his whip are real. The Hatter and his pain are very, very real._

Another crack; another sound of pain so soft it could barely be discerned.

Unbelievably dark despair gripped her. But as soon as it was there she shook it off, determined not to let it win. She would get Stayne's attention somehow and draw him over to her. No matter what, she _had_ to get him away from the Hatter!

Just as she spun around and was opening her mouth to scream the Knave's name at the top of her lungs, another female voice did the exact same thing, except a few octaves higher than Alice's would have been. "_Stayne!_"

The whip's movement arrested at the very top of its arc, halting only a second before delivering another blow to the half-conscious man at Stayne's feet. The Knave growled a curse, delivered a sharp kick to the Hatter's ribs, then exited the cell. He made sure it was locked tightly behind him, sent a leer in Alice's direction, then hurried out of the dungeon.

"Hatter!" Alice pressed herself against the bars again, stretching her arm out to try to reach him. "Hatter, please…"

For a moment he didn't move, and Alice felt her heart and breathing seize. Then he stirred a little, lifting his head to look at her, his eyes flickering between dark green and light grey. "Alice…" A ghost of his usual smile shadowed his lips. Though the effort was obviously great, he reached out, resting the very tips of his fingers against hers. "Good lass," he whispered. "Ye di'n' look…"

"No." Now that it was all over, she was ashamed that she hadn't. She should have…

Hatter shifted slightly, and then his fingers curled around hers, surprisingly strong, all things considered. "Good lass," he murmured.

"Tarrant! Alice!"

Alice looked up, shocked to see Mallymkun standing at the bars, Chessur floating above her. It was he who had called their names. "Mally! Chessur!" Hope found new life in her chest. "Get us out of here! Hatter needs help!"

"Beheading in the morning…" that man murmured.

Chessur disappeared, then reappeared above Tarrant. "You've already lost it if you're anticipating it," he said, for once not grinning. His green eyes flicked upwards to Alice. "It is night out. We shall get out of here and retrieve the Vorpal sword along the way, but we must make all haste."

Mally had managed to squeeze her way between the bars, and was now clucking over Hatter. "Wha' 'ave ye done this time, ye great fool?" she said, though quite fondly.

"Couldn't let him hurt Alice…" Hatter groaned.

The Cat once more disappeared, but only a moment later appeared outside the cell, dangling the keys to the cells from his paw. He unlocked Hatter's cell first, then Alice's.

She tore past Chessur and gently nudged Mally aside. "Come on," she said, carefully helping Hatter sit up. "It's time to leave this place."

"The Vorpal sword -- the Jabberwocky -- Frabjous Day -- _futterwacken_!" he muttered, but managed to get his feet beneath him to help her propel him out of the cell and up the steps leading to and from the dungeon.

The Dormouse clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Feverish, 'e is," she diagnosed.

Chessur scouted ahead, helping them avoid card soldiers. There were a few dangerous times when they almost were caught, but fortunately they made it through.

The Cat stopped before a large shed, his tail twitching spasmodically. It was the first time Alice recalled seeing him nervous. "The Vorpal sword is in there," he said. "Good luck."

Alice peered through a slit in the door, then fell back. "That is the _Bandersnatch!_" she exclaimed. "I am _not_ going in there!"

Mally shook her fisted little paw. "Ye'd better!" she growled. "Or Ah'll be cheerin' on the Jabberwocky come Frabjous Day!"

Catching sight of the net at the little mouse's waist, Alice knelt down. "Give me the Bandersnatch eye!" she said. "Quickly, Mally!"

The Dormouse hopped back a step. "Come and get it!" she challenged.

Impatient with the little white mouse's games, and anxious to get Tarrant to help as quickly as possible, she reached out and snatched the eye from the little mouse's belt. "Oi!" Mally protested, but was unable to do anything about it.

Holding her breath, Alice slid into the little shed, staring at the Bandersnatch with wide, scared eyes. She remembered facing it down before, and had had no desire to do so again. But the Vorpal sword was in here, guarded by the Bandersnatch, and she _had_ to have the sword.

"I brought you your eye," she whispered, rolling the icky thing across the shed toward the Bandersnatch. It snorted and growled, but put out a paw and rolled it toward itself. Then it didn't make another move towards her, though it did watch her suspiciously with its remaining good eye.

Later, Alice tried to explain to her friends what exactly had happened. But the details in her mind were fuzzy because of her worry for Hatter and the fever brought on by the infection of the Bandersnatch scratches on her arm. All she knew was that one second she was staring despondently at the locked chest holding the Vorpal sword, and the next the Bandersnatch was cozying up to her, licking her wound clean and clearing it from infection, and then she had the key in her hand.

And then -- she held the Vorpal sword.

She inched her way past the Bandersnatch, which had returned to its little nest in the corner, murmuring a thank-you as she left the shed. Then she burst into the night, sword held high, and exclaimed, "I've got it!"

Stayne and some card soldiers were waiting for her, holding Tarrant and Mally hostage. Chessur, the little rascal, was nowhere to be seen.

"I'll take that, thank you." His upper lip twisted, and he sneered, "_Alice_."

The now-familiar chill returned to her innards. He'd known all along -- he'd just chosen to keep the information to himself. But why…?

She had no time to consider it. Because at that moment Chessur reappeared, his claws out and slashing toward the Knave's face. Alice let out a yell, sweeping the Vorpal sword in an arc, feeling the oddest rush go through her from it. There was a power stirring in the sword, something that was old but very, very strong. It frightened and exhilarated her all at once.

Alice was nearly bowled over when, from behind her, came a rush of familiarly nasty-smelling air, and then the Bandersnatch was there, baring its ugly, broken teeth at the card soldiers and Stayne. Alice snatched up Mally and half dragged Hatter along with her onto the creature, and then they were free!

_To Marmoreal, and help…_

* * *

Marmoreal was beautiful, especially at night. The sound of a nearby waterfall added distant counterpoint to the chirps and croaks of nighttime animals, and the moon's silvery light cast an even more ethereal glow over the beautiful white color of everything. The White Queen's palace lived up to its mistress's title.

Alice couldn't enjoy any of it. She kept thinking of the look on the White Queen's face when she saw them riding toward her on the Bandersnatch, then how her face had fallen when she saw Hatter, who was hanging on to Alice and not falling off the creature they were riding by sheer force of will.

Queen Mirana had whisked him off to some room in her beautiful palace, and Alice hadn't seen him since. Huffily, Mally had escorted Alice to another room, where she was presented with some new clothes that actually fit. Just tightening the sash on her old ones hadn't worked too well, but it had helped her get by until she'd gotten some that actually fit.

"Alice."

Straightening from where she was leaning on the railing, she spun to face the Hatter, who was standing in the doorway to the balcony with his Hat tucked under his arm, a smile on his face. He still looked incredibly tired, and there was a fading bruise on his jaw, but other than that, he looked just like he always did.

"Thank you, Hatter," she whispered. She needed to get that out before she could say anything more.

For a moment his expression twitched, and his eyes shifted more toward yellow than green. But then he was smiling again. "Anything for you, fair Alice." Bowing at the waist, he swept her hand into his and grazed his lips across her knuckles.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For everything, but most particularly that I tried to insist that Underland isn't real. I've learned my lesson now. And I know -- if I had just admitted it earlier…"

Tarrant lifted his hand and brushed the pads of his fingers down her cheek. "What is done is done," he said. "'Tis in the past. No need on dredging it all up again and pouring lemon juice over it." One corner of his mouth tilted upwards, ever-so-slightly. "So I am real now, am I?"

"Yes." Alice nodded firmly. "And I am so glad…" She captured his hand in both of hers. "So glad…"

Hatter hesitated for only a moment, then reached out, gingerly wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "As am I, Alice," he whispered. "As am I."

Alice rested her head against his chest and listened to the reassuringly steady beat of his heart, glad the White Queen had been able to heal him. Though she knew that when the sun rose it would be Frabjous Day, and she would face the Jabberwocky -- somehow she knew it would be all right. Hatter had protected her, and it was time for her to protect him.

After it was over, they both had a lot to talk about. But for now, she was happy to stay there, her head on his chest, eyes closed, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat and breathing, and know he was all right.

That they were _both_ all right.

_~End Part I~_

_**Thanks for reading -- I hope you enjoyed! -hugs-**_


	2. Part II Frabjous Day

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairing, etc.

**Author's Note**: After the amazing reception the first part of _Maddening_ got, and a couple of reviews asking for a continuation, I decided to write this second piece partly as a thank-you, and partly to wind up the few bits of the story I left hanging. Thank you all so much for the kind reviews, the faves, and the alerts I got for the first chapter, and I hope you enjoy this continuation (which is the actual end of this fic now, _maybe_)! Thanks for reading! ~fyd

**-Maddening-**

_~Part II~_

Frabjous Day

The Frabjous Day dawned with the usual clear, beautiful weather Marmoreal enjoyed. However, if one looked closer at the palace itself, and most particularly just outside the front gates, the beauty of the day faded somewhat.

An army waited for orders from their Queen, who was looking around anxiously, all the while trying _not_ to seem so. Chessur, who had disappeared briefly the night before only to return with a satisfied grin and the rescued Tweedles and McTwisp, hovered nearby, his swishing tail the only outward sign of his inner distress.

The Hatter, however, stood with his back propped against a tree trunk, his Hat tipped low over his eyes. He seemed to be asleep, but upon closer inspection it was obvious he was quite alert under his brim. A small smile played across his lips; of the lot of them, he was the only one who didn't look worried in the least.

Inside the castle, Alice nervously paced back and forth, back and forth, drawing in deep breaths and trying to convince herself that her muchness was enough to get her through this. She did, after all, have a score to settle with the Red Queen, and even more particularly, the Knave that so reluctantly served her.

She could do this. She _would_ do this.

Letting out her breath, Alice clutched the Vorpal sword a little tighter and then swung up onto the Bandersnatch's back. The creature shook slightly, then charged for the doors.

They burst out into the sunlight, scattering the White Queen's carefully organized squadron as she guided him straight to the front, where Queen Mirana smiled in great relief to see her. The Tweedles cheered, McTwisp patted his heart with a paw, Thackery shook his spoon, and Mally offered a half-hearted cheer.

Off to her left, the Hatter came to life. Pushing off the tree, he straightened his Hat and smiled jauntily at her, confidence gleaming in his lime-green eyes.

Alice knew that while she would be fighting the Jabberwocky, he would be settling a score of his own. She had absolutely no doubt he'd win. Returning his confident smile, Alice urged the Bandersnatch forward, keeping just behind the White Queen's horse as they headed off to battle.

* * *

The Red Queen was just as bratty as Alice remembered her. The Knave -- if possible -- seemed to have gotten worse since the night before. Alice's capture, not to mention her escape with the Hatter _and_ the Vorpal sword _and_ the Bandersnatch, seemed to have put him in an extremely foul mood. At least, fouler than normal, since Alice wasn't entirely sure there was such a thing as a _good_ mood with him.

Alice stood still and tall as Mirana advanced to face her sister, her steps cautious but firm. She felt someone come up next to her, and it took only a flicker of a glance out of the corner of her eye to recognize Hatter. "Are you ready for this?" she asked him quietly.

His eyes had darkened slightly, but it was obvious that he was still very much himself. "I am," he said darkly. "The question is, my dear, are you?"

"I _think_ so?" It came out as a question, when she'd meant it to be a confident statement.

"Don't forget your muchness," Hatter said. He didn't sound _too_ worried. "You just got it back. Don't you go losing it again."

Despite herself, Alice grinned. "My muchness. Right."

Then, suddenly, Mirana was backing toward them, her posture wary and frustrated. Alice felt her breath catch -- the peace she had proposed to the Red Queen had not worked. The Bloody Big-Head was insisting on war.

Well, if she wanted a war, that was just what she was going to get. Alice adjusted her grip on the Vorpal sword, finally (mostly) sure she was ready to face the Jabberwocky.

Beyond the Red Queen's army, which had fallen into formation behind her and Stayne, a giant shadow suddenly rose up out of the charred earth. What Alice had mistakenly taken as a huge rock suddenly sprouted wings as it stood to a massive height, its bright red eyes focusing on the sword in Alice's hands, which was suddenly vibrating with what she could only assume was anger.

She remembered a snatch of the prophecy Hatter had recited to her what felt like forever ago. _…The Jabberwock with eyes of flame. The jaws that bite. The claws that catch_. Looking at the monster now, she couldn't help but think those few words were pithy compared to what it _really_ looked like. It was ten times worse than that description.

"This is _impossible_," she found herself whispering. At that point, she wasn't sure if the tremor running through her body came from the sword or her own fear.

Next to her, the Hatter tilted his body towards her slightly and said, "Only if you believe it is, luv."

His words stirred up a familiar childhood memory, and with a smile she recited her father's words: "Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

This time the Hatter did smile, though it was short-lived. "An excellent practice, to be sure," he said. "But just at the moment, you _might_ want to focus on the Jabberwocky." There was not nearly as much humor in his tone as she wished there were.

The Jabberwocky was approaching her now, his tail lashing, teeth gnashing. Its red eyes were narrowed in anger, looking like twin rubies that had captured living fire inside them. It was one of the most terrifying sights Alice had ever seen in her life.

"Six impossible things, Alice," she told herself firmly. A brief touch on her shoulder and a whispered, "Be safe, Alice," from Hatter gave her the strength she needed to start striding forward. "Count them, Alice," she whispered, voice tremulous.

Her foe hissed, tongue flickering between its awful teeth. With its head lowered and tail extended, it took up almost half the battlefield, which rather resembled a chess board with its even black and white squares. Never before had Alice felt so little and hopeless, even after she'd been shrunken with the _pishalver_ and stuffed into the Hatter's teapot.

"One," she said from between her teeth, "there's a potion that can make you shrink." The Vorpal sword was frantically shuddering in her hands, as if begging to be freed so it could attack the Jabberwocky on its own. She remembered then Absolem's words, that all she had to do was hang on to the sword and stay alive, and the weapon would do the rest. It was not a comforting thought. "Two," she forced herself to say. "There's a cake that can make you grow."

Before she could get to three, the Jabberwocky lowered its massive head, towering over her even though its chin was almost touching the ground. "Ssssso, my old foe," he hissed, "we meet on the battlefield once more."

The next item on her list completely vanished from her head as Alice stared at the Jabberwocky in shock. _It can _talk_!_ she thought disbelievingly. Though she supposed she shouldn't have been _that_ surprised, since all other manner of creatures in Underland could carry on conversations as easily as humans. Swallowing back the lump in her throat that was threatening to choke her, she managed to protest. "We've never met!"

Those red, hateful eyes flared brighter. "Not _you_, insignificant bearer!" it bellowed. Its gaze flicked back to the sword, which she realized then had been its true focus the whole time. "My ancient enemy, the Vorpal one."

The sword writhed in her hands, and if it had possessed a mouth, Alice was sure it would have been screaming. "That's enough _chatter_!" She screamed the command, trying to keep hold of the sword while scrabbling to regain her list of impossible things.

With a horrendous screech, the Jabberwocky shot its head toward her, tongue aimed straight at the sword as if to snatch it from her hands. Alice bowed her back slightly to avoid those sharp, snapping teeth, and the Vorpal sword lurched forward, severing the monster's forked tongue with a clean _snick_. The Jabberwock snatched its head back, screaming and gurgling in pain and fury.

Alice had to fight back the sudden wave of nausea that swept over her. She had never hurt a living thing before, and though this had to be one of the worst things that had ever existed, she still felt slightly horrified. But now that it had tasted blood, the Vorpal sword was more determined than ever to drag her back into the fight.

She was trying to juggle so many things at once that she missed the monster's tail whipping toward her. It impacted her in the back, sending her sprawling. With a gasp of surprise, she landed on her stomach, the breath knocked clean out of her. She just barely managed to maintain her grip on the sword.

"Three, Alice," she growled out, ignoring the tears of pain that immediately welled into her eyes. "Animals can talk."

Alice forced herself to roll to the side, and was just in time to keep from being smashed by the Jabberwocky's tail. It crushed the ground right where she'd been lying only a second before. "Four!" she shouted, starting to falter. "Four, Alice!" She shoved herself to her feet with pure brute strength. "Cats can disappear."

Growling wordlessly, the Jabberwocky took a swipe at her with its huge paw. The Vorpal once more moved to intercept, the monster's claws making a horrid screeching sound against the blade. "Five! There _is_ a place called Wonderland!"

She ducked away from the Jabber's cavernous, dripping mouth, drawing in a deep breath as she did so. "_Six_!" she shouted with as much conviction as she could. She planted her feet and held the sword out in front of her, shocked to realize that all her fear was suddenly gone. In its place was a fierce determination, rock-solid intentions, and the indisputable belief that what she said next was absolutely true. "_I can slay the Jabberwocky_!"

In that second she almost became one with the sword. Instead of jerking around, letting it lead her, she started moving with it, her body a natural extension of the blade. She fell into a rhythm, parrying and ducking and defending, now caught up in the deadly dance it had been foretold in the Oraculum she would become a part of -- and win.

The Jabberwocky became emboldened after a swipe of his claws very nearly made it through Alice and the Vorpal's defenses. With an evil, gurgling chuckle, he lurched forward, lashing out with his other foot. Alice turned just in time for the blow to catch her across the back of her armor instead of straight across her chest, but the hit was so hard it knocked her to the ground. The sword spun out of her hands, and suddenly she felt weaker, more tired.

She didn't see the Jabberwocky raising its huge paw to stomp on her -- a blow that would kill her by crushing every bone in her body. She did, however, see the Hatter swing his sword, planting the sharp end in the Jabberwocky's tail. The creature howled with pain and turned around to lash at the Hatter, who nimbly removed himself from the creature's reach.

Unfortunately, his move had been observed by the Red Queen, too. "The Hatter's interfering!" she screamed. "_Off with his head_!"

As Alice utilized the time Tarrant had bought her and scrambled to her feet, she saw the Knave of Hearts draw his sword and charge straight at the Mad Hatter. All around them red card soldiers and white chess pieces were clashing, fighting fiercely with each other. But by far the two most impressive and personal battles to behold were Alice versus the Jabberwocky and the Hatter (who had a very personal score to settle on several different levels) against Stayne.

The Vorpal sword had fallen at the base of a stone staircase. Alice snatched it on her way up the steps, hoping the Jabberwocky would not be able to follow her in such a narrow space. But one glance over her shoulder proved the creature could and would follow her, smashing through whatever it had to so it could try to get to her faster.

Alice was forced to stop suddenly when she reached a place where the stone steps had crumbled away, leaving a gap that would have made her take a horrible tumble had she fallen. It probably would not have killed her, but it would have injured her beyond the capability of fighting. Bracing herself, knowing the Jabberwocky was quite close behind her, she leaped. For a moment she sailed over nothingness, one arm flailing for balance. She had misjudged the distance, but not so badly that she wasn't able to catch the edge of the rest of the steps and pull herself up.

This time she was more careful as she took off, her eyes casting ahead of her to make sure there no more gaps in the stone staircase. She climbed ever-higher, managing to keep ahead of the Jabberwocky, who was having a bit of trouble smashing his way up after her.

At last Alice reached a flat ledge, where she stopped. Though she was listening intently for the Jabberwocky, she spared a moment to look down below, where the rest of the battle was raging. Mallymkun had leaped onto Bayard the bloodhound's back, and they were busy trying to fight off the JubJub bird. The Tweedles were sitting one atop the other, fighting off card soldiers with surprising skill. Thackery was wielding his spoon like a sword, shouting about tea and being late and something about scones, whacking at anyone he could get close to.

And the Hatter… Alice felt her breath catch in her throat for a moment. He was fighting Stayne with a vengeance that shocked her. Even at that distance she could tell his eyes were a furious yellow, hinting more toward orangey-red. He shouted something in furious Outlandish, which she couldn't discern over the sounds of the general din of battle. But if Stayne's face was anything to go by, it was not something the docile Hatter would have dreamed of saying.

A roar and great rush of air from behind her was the only warning she got of the Jabberwocky's having changed tactics. It had taken to its wings and flown up to the ledge to further challenge her. Alice, having nearly been knocked off her feet by the strong wind stirred up by the creature's great wings, caught a half-shattered column with one hand and ducked behind it, just in time to avoid a great web of crackling purple energy that would have obliterated her on the spot. Just a few feet away was the continuation of the staircase -- if she could just get to it, perhaps she could gain a higher ground on the Jabberwocky, perhaps surprise it from above and behind…

She jabbed outwards with the Vorpal sword, startling the Jabberwocky back, before she left the relative safety of her column and took off for the staircase, shield arm held up to protect her face and chest as she ran. Her feet hit the bottom step only a second before another bright web of energy struck the place she'd been only a second before. She went up the curving stairs, using the circular wall next to her as cover from the creature's fire-breathing antics. The Jabberwocky, however, was so large he was able to sweep his tail around the building, and she had to sprawl on the stairs to keep from being slammed against the side, or worse, off the edge that opened into the air -- and then a deathly drop to the battlefield below.

As the Jabber withdrew his tail for another go at her, Alice took the opportunity to sprint up the rest of the steps, reaching the very top of the tower with her breath heaving and heart pumping unsteadily with anticipation. A brief look downwards showed the Jabberwocky's head was right beneath her. But it had quickly realized what she was doing, compensating by lifting its head, balancing on its hindquarters a bit to make itself even taller. Alice launched herself off the tower, springing right for its neck. She hit and skidded, scrabbling for purchase against the creature's wildly flailing body. With a screech of anger, it threw back its head, once more rocketing Alice into the air.

What it hadn't realized was that this had been her plan from the moment she'd reached the top of the tower. Swinging the Vorpal sword up and around, she reached the top of her arc and started back down. Opening her mouth, she screamed loud and long words familiar to everyone throughout Underland, who had heard them at least once in their lives: "_Off with _your_ head!_"

The blade sliced cleanly through the Jabberwocky's neck, just behind its head, with surprising ease. Alice impacted the side of the creature's body, softening her momentum so she was able to hit and roll when she landed on the ledge again, instead of landing flat-out and breaking half the bones in her body.

Everything suddenly went deathly still as the fighting armies below noticed the head of the terrifying beast that the Red Queen had been so confident in bounce down the steps, with each impact dimming the flaming red eyes a little more. When at last the head came to rest at Iracebeth of Crims's feet, the eyes had died to a cold, lifeless grey.

As one, everyone's gazes turned up toward Alice, who stood at the top of the stairs with a tired but triumphant smile on her face, the Vorpal sword lowered at her side. She caught sight of the Hatter, who was standing over Stayne's prone, cowering form, his large sword poised to strike. Even from so far up, she was able to see the furious yellow fade from them as he smiled at her. Then he stepped back, dropping his sword as he gazed warmly up at Underland's Champion.

Then the silence was torn by a familiar screech. "She killed my Jabberwocky!" the Red Queen screamed furiously. "_Off with her head!_"

The silence returned, this time edged with an intensity that no one dared break for a long moment. Alice was breathing too hard to say anything, but she knew she was relatively safe from her perch halfway up the tower upon which she had finally slain the Jabberwocky.

At last came the sound of a single sword clattering to the ground. For a moment everyone's eyes cast around to see who had dropped it, only to narrow upon a red card soldier who stepped back. "We serve you no more," he said to the Red Queen, before muttering, "Bloody Big-Head."

"How _dare_ you?!" that woman shrieked, incensed. She spun to the next nearest soldier, pointing at the first as she demanded, "Off with his head!"

The entire battlefield was suddenly filled with the sounds of weapons dropping to the ground as the entire Red Army disarmed themselves. Suddenly every eye was staring defiantly at Iracebeth, daring her to be off with _all_ of their heads with no one to follow her orders.

For a moment the Red Queen was so busy screaming over losing her Jabberwocky and her army she didn't notice that she was losing her crown, too. But when she finally saw that everyone's gazes were turned up in awe, she looked. The crown was floating across the space between Iracebeth and Mirana seemingly of its own accord, changing from a large gold thing (which even then hadn't been big enough for the Red Queen's head) inset with bloody rubies to a small silver circlet inlaid with sapphires. Two paws and a head appeared as Chessur lowered it gently onto the White Queen's head.

For a moment Mirana stood with her eyes closed, seeming to relish once more wearing the crown. Alice smiled as she descended the steps, using the moment when all attention was off her to sidle up to Chessur, who was grinning satisfactorily as he washed his paws, quite proud of himself. She scratched him briefly behind the ears as the White Queen turned to face her older sister, her expression cool.

"Iracebeth of Crims," she declared, "your crimes against Underland are worthy of death." For a moment she stopped and breathed, visibly trying to rein in her anger. When she spoke again, it was with the gentle, almost dreamy tone she always used. "However, since that is against my vows, you are hereby banished to the Outlands. No one is to show you any kindness, or ever speak a word to you. You will have not a friend in the world."

As the Red Queen stared openmouthed at the White, the Knave of Hearts, who had removed himself from the Hatter's proximity as quickly as he could without making himself too obvious, sidled up to the White Queen and bowed with all the smarmy superiority that had ingratiated himself with the Bloody Big-Head in the first place. "Majesty," he said with what he considered a dashing smile, "I hope you bear _me_ no ill will."

Mirana looked almost surprised. One eyebrow arched upwards as she pointed at him, her nose tilted upwards slightly as she quite obviously refused to look at him. "Only this one," she said without a trace of irony. "Ilosovic Stayne, you will join Iracebeth in banishment from this day until the end of Underland."

The Knave went very pale indeed as two of Mirana's chess-piece warriors grabbed his arm and locked him to the Red Queen with a manacle and chains. Iracabeth slid even closer and batted her eyelashes, which framed her too-large eyes, set in her too-large face. "At least we have each other," she said huskily.

Alice could see what was going to happen before it did. She briefly tightened her grip on the Vorpal sword, but before she could make a move, Stayne had withdrawn his knife and had thrust it at the Red Queen, shouting in fury. From behind Alice, a pair of scissors suddenly shot through the air and cleanly hit the narrow blade of the knife, knocking it away. She glanced back briefly, smiling at the Hatter. He smiled back and tilted his head, as if to say, _Banishment with the Bloody Big-Head is far more appropriate punishment than death._ She had to agree completely.

Now weaponless, the Knave dropped to his knees before the White Queen, knowing he was defeated. Alice felt a surprising rush of vindictive pleasure at seeing him like that. She was even more shocked to realize that she realized she was glad about what was happening to him. After what he had done to Hatter, he deserved every bit of it.

"Please, Majesty, kill me," he begged the White Queen. His eye flicked to Alice and the Vorpal sword. "Please."

There was no pity in the White Queen's eyes or face as she responded, her tone implying that it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But I owe you not a kindness."

Iracebeth had seemed to find her voice at that time. "You tried to kill me!" she shrieked at Stayne. "_He tried to kill me!_"

Knights seized the unfortunate pair and dragged them away into the woods. The former Red Queen's protestations and Stayne's pleadings echoed for a while, then trailed into silence.

The last of the tension drained from those still present. From behind Alice, the Hatter suddenly gave a whoop of joy. She spun around to face him, watching in enraptured surprise as he snatched off his top hat and sang out in joy, "Oh, the Frabjous Day! Calloo! Callay!"

And then he broke into a dance. Alice felt her eyes widen as he did things she knew were not possible in Otherland, which made them all the more impressive and amazing in her eyes. "What is he _doing_?" she asked Chessur breathlessly.

The vanishing Cat grinned with obvious pleasure. "_Futterwacken_," he declared.

Over the course of getting to know the Hatter, she had heard that term several times. Everything she had thought the dance was certainly did not compare to the actual event. The real thing was far more wonderful. Just watching his unbridled joy in dance form made her want to run and join him, if she could figure out how to get her suddenly stiff, sore body to move in such strange but oddly mesmerizing ways.

As the Hatter came out of his final spin, he extended an arm and snagged her around the shoulders, pulling her to him and crushing his lips against hers in a kiss that was so filled with passion and joy that it left her weak-kneed and trembling. Her sudden unsteadiness had absolutely nothing to do with her fight with the Jabberwocky and everything to do with the sudden influx of powerful feelings that were threatening to wash her away in a rush of blissfully wonderful passion.

When he finally started to pull away, Alice locked her arms around his neck and clung to him, resting her head against his chest. She heard his heartbeat, which was drumming at a considerably faster rhythm than normal -- but one that perfectly matched her own. Smiling down at her, the Hatter removed one arm from around her waist just long enough to restore his Hat to his head. "Dear Alice," he said, and his voice sounded rather shaky.

"Tarrant," she replied, less than steady herself.

Then suddenly the White Queen was there, holding out a little vial filled with purple liquid. Alice felt Hatter's arms tighten around her waist as his eyes flickered yellow, but then he sighed slightly and stepped back. Wondering what that was about, Alice reached out to take the Queen's offering. "What is this?" she asked.

Mirana smiled. "The blood of the Jabberwocky," she replied. "It will give you anything you wish."

Alice suddenly held the little bottle with new appreciation. The vibrantly fluorescent liquid inside looked a little repulsive, but for whatever she wished, it was certainly worth drinking… "Will it take me home?" she asked hesitantly.

"If that is what you desire."

Lifting her head, Alice glanced around at all the friends she'd made. Mirana, the Tweedles, Thackery, Mallymkun, McTwisp, Bayard…

Two hands gently folded around hers, and Alice looked up into Tarrant's green eyes, which were suspiciously washed out. "You could stay, you know," he whispered. He looked like he hardly dared hope that she would.

His hands were warm around hers, and filled with such promise it made her heart swell. She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining a life in Underland: Tea parties every day. All her friends close by and around her. She could talk to animals every day; ride the Bandersnatch around and explore Underland. She could dance the _Futterwacken_ with Hatter whenever she chose (and she would be remiss if she didn't admit that the thought of that made her heart beat faster)…

But then there was England, _home_, despite the fact that it felt like she'd left it forever ago. Before she'd felt like she didn't belong there, and she knew coming to Underland would make her feel even more so. But what of her mother, and Margaret? And her father's company? Could she really throw all that away?

She had never felt so torn in her entire life. She forced herself to smile, knowing Hatter was waiting for her answer. "What an idea," she whispered. "A mad, crazy, _wonderful_ idea."

Hatter smiled at her, a bit of luster returning to his eyes. "Will you take a walk with me, Alice?"

She looked down at the vial in her hands, then gently closed the lid with her thumb. Grasping it in her free hand, now ungloved, she allowed Hatter to hold her other. "Of course."

His eyes flicked to the little bottle she still held, but said nothing. They both bowed to Mirana, then started off, ignoring the murmurs of speculation and whispers of gossip starting up behind them. They paused only long enough so Alice could shed the armor down to the clothes the White Queen had given her earlier so she could walk and breathe more freely, and then they were on their way.

For a few minutes they walked in silence. Once they left the now-peaceful battlefield behind, the only sounds were their footsteps, and the forest creatures. Alice had the Jabberwocky blood in one hand, and Hatter's hand in the other. Both hands were feeling awfully warm, though one a little more than the other…

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what she _should_ do.

At last Tarrant stopped, tugging her to a halt beside him. Turning to face her, he took her other hand, gently enclosing her fist with his work-hardened and bandaged fingers. "Alice…" He hesitated, his eyes shyly darting away from hers. When he continued, his lisp had worsened, and a hint of his homeland accent had crept into his voice. "Ah know ye want to go back home to ye family, but -- _please_ consider stayin' here? We're ye family too, now."

Alice felt just a twinge of disappointment inside her. Earlier he had kissed her, and acted for all the world like he really felt something for her, in the romantic sense. But now he was talking like she was family to him, like a sister. She knew she shouldn't feel hurt, especially since she didn't _need_ to fall for the Hatter if she was returning to Otherland. _Home_, she mentally corrected herself. _Not Otherland. _Home_. Don't start thinking that way, Alice…_ But there was the problem. She had already started thinking that way, because she already _had_ fallen for the Hatter. Hard.

"Tarrant…" His eyes brightened when she said his name, and she felt a new shard of glass embed itself in her heart. Oh, what was she to do? "I -- _want_ to stay. I feel like I _belong_ here, in ways I've never felt I could belong somewhere before. But…" She stopped. Could she really kill that look of hope on his face, the spark of what she _thought_ was love in his eyes?

She didn't want to. Even the thought of hurting him made her feel sick inside.

"B-But?" Hatter prompted, stuttering slightly. He was nervous, probably just as nervous as she.

"There are things in Otherland -- questions to answer -- and there's my mother and sister…" Alice wanted to scream and tear her hair out. She wished she could split herself in two, so one of her could stay with Hatter, and one of her could go back up to Otherland. She couldn't bear this.

Releasing her hands, Hatter took a step forward and enclosed her in his arms, gently pressing her head against his chest as he had earlier. "_I_ dannae w-wan' ye tae go," he whispered. "B-But I p-promise Ah'll understand if ye d-do."

Alice screwed her eyes shut tightly, forcing back the hot tears welling into her eyes. Winding her arms around Hatter's waist, she buried her face against him, struggling for control, but at the same time not wanting to regain it. If she got her control back she might leave Underland. She might leave the Hatter. She didn't _want_ to leave Underland, but most particularly she didn't want to leave the Hatter. She fisted his coat in her hands, shocked when she felt tiny ridges beneath. Lifting her face, she looked up at him, feeling the first tears break through her control. "Hatter…"

He had taken whiplashes for her, silently suffering to protect her from Stayne's vile attention. He had protected her so selflessly, and now the only way she could thank him was by thinking of _leaving_ him?

Once more his nervous gaze shied away from hers. "Dannae c-cry," he begged nervously. "I-It was worth it, luv, an' -- an' Underland n-needed ye tae fight th' Jabberwock, an'--" He stopped, swallowing convulsively. His eyes flashed back to hers, suddenly dark green with determination. "An' _I_ needed ye tae be all righ'," he whispered.

Alice was confident that there was not a single man in Otherland who would be that honest with her about his true feelings. Not to mention all those classy high-and-mighty men her mother kept pushing upon her daughter would _never_ have taken whiplashes for her, let alone quietly. They probably didn't even know what the word _chivalry_ meant.

_Oh, dear Hatter…_

She wanted to stay so desperately it was a physical ache inside her. But she _knew_, logically, that she needed to go home. She needed to help sort out the affairs of her father's business, to find a way to tell her mother and sister that she had found someone, but he did not live in England -- did not, in fact, live in the world they were accustomed to.

"I _want_ to stay," she finally said, her voice as shaky as her emotions. "But--"

He stiffened against her. "But?" he repeated, very softly.

"But eventually I will need to return to Otherland," she whispered. "There are things that absolutely must be done up there. Things I cannot leave undone. Words -- words I cannot leave unsaid."

Tarrant's arms, which had been so strong and warm around her, loosened. He stepped back slightly, turning his shoulder on her and staring back in the direction they'd come. "Then ye ha' migh' as well go now, lass," he said, a sudden hard edge in his voice. "Because it'll nae be easier tae le' ye go th' longer ye stay."

Alice suddenly felt very cold and very tired. "Tarrant, please," she begged, wrapping her arms around herself. She felt like she might shatter, since she had suddenly become so vulnerable.

The part of his face she could see softened very slightly. "It seems a wee bi' mad, in th' end, though," he whispered.

"What does?" Alice blinked hard to force back more tears.

A small, self-deprecating smile twisted his lips as he turned to face her again. "Ye're _th'_ Alice, Champion of Underland," he said. "Ah'm jus' a milliner, an' they dannae call mah th' _Mad Hatter _for naught, luv." His eyes were a murky greyish-green that made her heart hurt even more than it was already.

Striding forward, Alice grasped the Hatter's arms and shook him slightly. "Don't talk like that!" she commanded. That sounded a lot like something her mother would say, or some of the snobbish people who had been at her and Hamish's (she shuddered to think the words, even though she felt like the events she'd so abruptly ran out on had happened a hundred years ago) engagement party. "You are _not_ just a milliner! You are the bravest man in all of Underland. I daresay the stuffed peacocks where I come from could and would not have done even a third of the things you have." She allowed a tremulous smile to at last emerge on her lips. "And besides," she whispered, "you are not just a Mad Hatter. You are _the_ Mad Hatter." Standing on her tiptoes, she placed her lips right next to his ear and whispered, almost recklessly (and quite unlike a "proper" young lady would), "You are _my_ Mad Hatter."

She started to withdraw, but before she could, Hatter clasped her face in his hands and kissed her again. It was not as frantic as the one he'd given her after the _Futterwacken_. This one was not as hurried, or even as desperate. But it was just as nice, Alice thought somewhat fuzzily.

In that moment, her mind was made up. She would stay in Underland, with Mirana, Thackery, Mally, Bayard, the Tweedles, McTwisp, and -- most importantly of all -- her Hatter. And then, as clear as the dawn, a solution struck her.

With a slight squeak, she squirmed out of Tarrant's arms. He narrowed his eyes at her, half-surprised, half-annoyed. But she held up the vial of Jabberwocky blood between them and whispered, "I have a solution, Tarrant. If you are willing?"

He tilted his head to the side, looking at her in that questioning way that made bread-and-butterflies dance around in her stomach. "I cannot leave you to go to Otherland," she said. She couldn't help but smile at the way his eyes and expression brightened when she told him that. "_But_ -- I _could_ leave Underland to go to Otherland if you went with me."

Hatter's eyes widened a little. "Go -- Up There?" He twitched slightly, his bow tie drawing in on itself with his nervousness.

Alice reached out and secured his hand, rubbing her thumb along one of the thimbles he always wore. "I will be with you the entire time." Lifting her other hand, she smiled as she gently tweaked the brim of his Hat. "Besides, I want Mother to see that I have found someone. She -- she would never let me go unless she knew I was happy. And safe."

Hatter's other hand cradled her cheek as he smiled down at her, his tie fluffing out again and regaining its lost color. "And loved," he whispered.

A warm glow started in her stomach and rushed northward until she was sure her cheeks were so red their light could be seen clear to Marmoreal. "And loved," she agreed. Reaching up, she held the vial of Jabberwocky blood between them. "I shall see you in Otherland, then, Hatter Hightopp?" She popped the lid and drank part of its contents, then handed it off to him.

He followed suit, making a face at the taste. Then he smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. A strange grey mist started to swirl around them, until all she saw were his green, green eyes. Right before she felt herself drifting away from the ground, she heard him whisper, "And then I shall see you back in Underland, my fair Lady Alice."

_~End Part II~_

_**Thank you all so very much for reading this story, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it! I want to say quickly that I am inspired to do a third (and final) part about when Alice and Hatter go to Otherland. But if you all are happy with this ending, then so am I. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!**_


	3. Part III Frabjous Post

Please see first part for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairing, etc.

**Author's Note**: Wow! This story has received _far_ more attention than I ever thought it would -- thank you all so, so very much! All the reviews, faves, and alerts have made me unbelievably happy, I appreciate you all so much! They all have encouraged me to write this last part, which was unanimously asked for, at a (if you'll pardon the pun) maddening pace! Once more, thank you all so very much for reading my story, and I hope you enjoy this last part! ~fyd

**-Maddening-**

_~Part III~_

Frabjous Post

It should have been of little surprise to Alice that the trip back _from_ Underland was the reverse of her trip _to_ Underland. Instead of falling down, she fell up, moving very quickly past everything she had knocked askew when she went down. She had little time to wonder how everything had been put back in their proper places before she was climbing out of the rabbit hole she'd fallen into what felt like forever ago. She looked down in shock at the blue dress she'd been wearing when she'd fallen in. It was in decidedly less than perfect shape, but at that point she didn't much care.

Stepping away from the hole to give Hatter room, she waited impatiently for his arrival. For a moment she felt unease stir in her stomach -- what if only certain things, certain people, were allowed to travel between worlds, and the Hatter was not one of them? But her concerns were soon put to rest when a familiar Hat appeared in the mouth of the hole, momentarily followed by the rest of Tarrant.

"A most delightful thing!" he said with a grin as he stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "Falling up -- what a novelty!"

Reaching up, Alice straightened the Hatter's Hat, which had gone slightly askew during his time coming up the rabbit hole. "The precise opposite of what happened when I came to Underland," she told him. "Now then, are you ready to go?"

For a long moment he stood still, curious green eyes taking in everything around him. The silent trees and flowers, and the dullness of it all. Odd, Alice had never really realized how dull the colors in Otherland was until she had visited Underland. Now everything seemed dull and drab in comparison. Then he seemed to shake himself out of whatever he'd been thinking, and with a smile, offered his arm to her. "Lead the way," he said.

Feeling happier than she had been in a very long while, Alice tucked her hand into the crook of Hatter's elbow and started off down the same path she'd run up days ago in Underland, but only a few minutes ago in Otherland. It was strange how differently Time moved in the two worlds, and how much different she felt in such a short time…

As they got closer to the engagement party that Alice had so hastily fled, the sounds of distressed murmurs and shocked statements, said in a much louder tone, reached their ears. Her hand involuntarily tightened on Hatter's arm, and he reached around with his free hand to pat hers, offering a nervous but supportive smile.

Breaking through the last of the foliage into the little clearing where the gazebo was situated was like stepping into a completely different world (which, in some ways, it _was_). For a moment no one noticed the couple who had just stepped into their midst, for they were all still too busy discussing Alice's peremptory exit from the festivities. In fact, Hamish was still on one knee in the gazebo, his mouth hanging open in shock, eyes almost bulging out of his head. His red hair, which had looked too bright before, now looked far too dull to her eyes.

Alice's mother, predictably, was the first to notice her. Offering a shocked gasp, she squealed out, "_Alice Kingsley_!" After that exclamation, the silence quickly rippled through the crowd as every eye turned in her direction.

If it were not for Tarrant's presence, Alice might have turned and fled again. She did not much care for being the center of attention, though now she realized that it did not bother her as much as it had before she went to Underland. Perhaps she had become accustomed to being the center of attention while she was there.

And, after all, the stares of impertinent partygoers was not nearly so unsettling after fighting and defeating a Jabberwocky.

Helen rushed at her daughter, plucking at the girl's once neat dress. "Alice, what have you_ done_ to yourself? Oh, only _you_ could get yourself so dirty and disheveled in such a short amount of time. This will never do, no it won't. Hamish is still waiting for your--" Suddenly she seemed to notice that Alice was not alone, and once more her face transformed as she stared at Hatter with unbridled dismay. "Who is _this_?" she demanded.

Gently removing his arm from Alice's grasp, Tarrant took off his Hat and swept it elegantly around and to his chest as he bowed regally at the waist. "Tarrant Hightopp," he said. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady."

"I am most certainly not your lady," Alice's mother said stiffly. Turning abruptly from Tarrant, she looked back at her daughter. "Please do not tell me you left Hamish waiting to run off and meet -- _him_!" She once more gave Alice's clothes and loose, tangled hair a critical look, undoubtedly insinuating some things that had the younger girl's cheeks flushing bright red.

Alice wanted to jump right on the defensive, but managed to refrain. Alienating her mother at such a crucial moment would do none of them any good whatsoever. "We happened upon each other quite accidentally, I assure you, Mother," she said.

Helen's eyes narrowed further. "Come with me," she said stiffly. "We need to have a discussion."

"In a moment, if you please." Alice curtsied to her mother, smiled at the Hatter, then went over to Hamish. Gently taking him by the shoulders, she helped him back to his feet before giving him a polite but disinterested smile. "I am sure you are a perfectly good gentleman, Hamish, but I am afraid I cannot marry you. You are -- not the right man for me. And there is also that problem with your digestion." Shaking her head, she left him gaping after her as she went over to the twin girls who so reminded her of the Tweedles. "You remind me of the most darling boys I met in a dream," she told them with a smile. Next was Mrs. Ascot, whom she did not address quite so warmly. "I happen to like rabbits, _especially_ white ones," she said stiffly. Next was her sister, who was looking rather misty-eyed. "I love you dearly, Margaret, but this is _my _life, and I would like to live it the way I please." Turning her head slightly, she narrowed a harsh gaze on her brother-in-law. "You are very fortunate to have Margaret, Lowell. Be sure to take very good care of her. I shall be watching you _very_ closely." Then she went to her dear Aunt Immogen, who was still looking around for her lost prince. "Aunt Immogen, you must speak to someone about your delusions," she said softly and kindly. Squeezing the older woman's hands gently, she moved on to Lord Ascot, who was studying her with a strange expression on his face. "I should think you would have made a fine father-in-law," she said. "But I believe, instead, that you _will_ make a most excellent head for my father's company. I should like to talk to you, as soon as my mother and I clear up a few things." With one final smile, she went back to her mother, who was looking quite shocked at her daughter's behavior.

"Alice…"

"I believe we should have that talk now, Mother." With an innocent smile, Alice once more tucked her hand into the crook of Hatter's arm as they headed toward the house. The crowd parted for them, looking at her with varying degrees of shock, confusion, and amusement. Pausing at the back of the crowd, which had turned to follow her progress, Alice gently squeezed Tarrant's arm and turned around. "Oh, and one more thing…" She took three steps away from her love, hitched up her skirts so everyone could see her lack of stockings, and very determinedly performed a shortened version of the _Futterwacken_. When at last she dropped her skirts and turned back to Hatter, she saw several shocked and only a few amused faces. Tarrant was staring at her in awe, a soft smile brightening his face as this time he reached for her hand.

In Otherland, it was most inappropriate for a man and a woman to hold hands in public. Alice took his hand anyway, hoping she hadn't given her mother _too_ much of a shock.

Helen reserved her comments until they were safely sequestered in Lord Ascot's library, which he had hastily agreed to let them use for their conversation. Once the door was closed, and the gentleman's footsteps had faded off into the distance, she spun to face her daughter with eyes wide and cheeks flaming with embarrassment. "Alice Kingsley! Whatever were you thinking?"

Alice smoothed down her skirts, feeling Hatter stiffen nervously next to her. He was turning his Hat round and round in his hands, looking like he wasn't sure what to say or do. Squeezing his hand carefully, she met her mother's gaze squarely and said, "I have changed. I am a different girl than I was a few minutes ago. I have regained -- well, I have regained my muchness." She smiled up at the Hatter when she used that term, and his eyes lightened a bit as he smiled back.

"Muchness? My dear, whatever are you on about?" At least the elder lady didn't look _quite_ so apt to murder now.

"I love you, Mother. And Margaret. I love both of you very dearly. But -- I do not belong here. In truth I never really have." Letting go of Tarrant, she stepped up to Helen and took her hands carefully, because the poor woman looked like she was about to shatter. So much had been thrown at her in one day. At least Alice had had the benefit of a few days in Underland to adjust to everything. To Mrs. Kingsley, only a few minutes had passed. "I have found a place I actually _belong_. Where everything is as colorful and imaginative as I am." Smiling, feeling a few tears prick at the backs of her eyes, she whispered, "I have found someone whom I belong _with_."

Her mother's eyes flicked past Alice's shoulder and focused on Tarrant. "But dear, he's so -- _different_. And you can hardly know him. Do you know what he's really like? What he does?" She kept her voice low so Hatter wouldn't hear.

Alice felt a warm, wonderful smile blossom on her lips. "He is different," she agreed. "But in truth, I have known him for a long time. We have had tea together, you know. He throws the most delightful tea parties… He is a wonderful man. He is so warm and caring, and protective. He is a fiercely loyal friend, and would never turn a hand or evil word against anyone. And he makes hats. The most delightful hats." She remembered the Hatter's words when he first spoke to her of his trade, and softly quoted him. "The Hightopp clan have always been employed at court."

Helen's eyes widened slightly. "You mean Mr. Hightopp makes hats for _royalty_?"

"Yes," Alice replied. "I met the Queen he works for once. She is a delightful woman. Very kind. Has nothing but a kind word to say about everyone."

It was obvious her mother was working hard to understand everything, since she had kept Alice very close to home her entire life. It was easy for her to think everything her daughter was saying was imagination or a dream, but the Hatter was quite obviously there, quite obviously _real_ flesh and blood, so she knew that somehow, as impossible as it seemed, her daughter spoke the truth. "And tell me something, Alice dear. Do you love him? Honestly and truly love him, with all your heart?"

She did not even have to think about it. "Yes. I really do."

Looking past her daughter, Helen addressed Tarrant, who was still standing nervously by, endlessly turning his Hat around and around in his mesmerizing hands. "And Mr. Hightopp, do you love my daughter?" she asked bluntly.

Alice held her breath. Though she could say with all assurance that she loved Tarrant, despite the fact that she'd only spent a few days with him. But she wasn't sure if he felt the same as her. Yes, he'd kissed her; yes, he'd invited her to stay in Underland with him; yes, he'd even come up to Otherland with her, but she had _no_ guarantee that all this meant he _loved_ her.

When she turned to follow her mother's gaze, though, she felt like the breath had been stolen right from her lungs. The look on Hatter's face, and more importantly in his eyes -- which were the most beautiful shade of soft lavender that she'd ever seen -- said even more than his following words how he felt. "Aye, ma'am. I do love 'er, more than anyone an' anythin' else." A hint of his Outlandish brogue had crept into his voice, though it was quite obvious that he was as far from one of his maddening attacks as he could get. She felt her cheeks grow warm as some more of that same warmth pooled in her belly under his loving gaze.

Helen's hands loosened in Alice's grasp. "I see," she said haltingly. Her gaze shifted from Tarrant back to Alice, her eyes slightly misted with tears. "My dear daughter, I had no idea," she whispered. "Are you _sure_ this is what you want? _Who_ you want? I only want you to be happy…"

For a moment Alice felt like a little girl again, when while her father was off on a business trip she would wake up to her mother's comfort. She wanted to throw herself into her mother's arms and cry once more, this time because she was so incandescently happy. But she was a lady now. And besides, tears would not help her mother let her go, which needed to happen before Alice could return to Underland with Hatter. "Yes, Mother. I will be happy with him. Happier -- well, happier than I could be with anyone here."

At that, a single tear trailed down Helen's face. "You are leaving, aren't you, my dear?"

A sudden tightness in her throat made Alice have to swallow once or twice so she could talk again. "Yes, I am," she said. "But please do not think my decision reflects on you or Margaret in any way. I love you both very dearly. But -- this place is just not right for me. I have always looked forward to the next great Adventure, and…" She trailed off, hoping her mother would understand.

"The next great Adventure will never be _here_," her mother agreed. Reaching up, Helen took her daughter's porcelain face in her hands and smiled shakily. "I think everyone would think this is most untoward, you going off with some gentleman it would seem you just met on the day you were set to be engaged to someone else. But, as little as I like to admit it, I have watched you over the years and known you were meant for something other than England and society, though I have tried so hard to conform you to the world you have grown up in." She sighed and pushed a lock of Alice's hair over her shoulder. "Despite how it seems, Alice, I have never wanted anything but happiness for you. I was hoping your happiness would lie here, but--" once more her gaze drifted to Tarrant and then back "--I can see it is not meant to be. As long as you are safe, happy, and loved, my dear -- I shall try very hard to support you in your decisions." She smiled, this time a little stronger. "You always have been just like your father, dear."

Alice smiled widely. She had always hoped people would look at her and see the great Charles Kingsley somewhere inside her, for she had loved and admired her father so. "Thank you, Mother," she whispered. Then, ignoring the fact that her mother was spotless and she was not, she threw her arms around Helen and hugged her very tightly.

For once, Helen did not seem to mind. She wrapped her arms around Alice in reply, running gentle fingers through the younger woman's tangled honey-blonde locks. "Such a dear girl," she whispered as they drew apart. "I love you, Alice."

"I love you too, Mother." Alice felt true peace settle into her chest, perhaps for the first time in her life. And, looking into her mother's shining eyes, she wondered just how much she knew and understood about where Alice was going. And, all things considered, she was adjusting to it all much better than she'd anticipated.

After her hands were squeezed one last time, Alice watched as her mother moved past her to stand in front of Tarrant. She solemnly gazed up into his wide, nervous green eyes. "You take good care of my little girl, Mr. Hightopp. She is a treasure beyond compare."

Hatter's gaze shifted from mother to daughter, and the warmly innocent smile Alice loved so dearly brightened his face. "I will," he said softly. "And she is, most completely."

Nodding to accept Hatter's promise, Helen paused next to Alice again on the way to the door. "I shall go give the guests our apologies and then break the news to Margaret," she said softly. "Shall I send Lord Ascot in?"

Alice managed to tear her gaze from Hatter's long enough to turn to her mother and murmur an affirmative, and a thank you. Helen squeezed her daughter's hand once more before she left the room, softly closing the door behind her.

For a long time Alice and Hatter remained silent, just looking at each other from across the library. And for the first time, the enormity of it all hit her, and she felt the prickle of tears at the backs of her eyes. She blinked hard to hold them back, annoyed. She had regained her muchness and slain the Jabberwocky, for goodness sake. What was this?

Suddenly the Hatter was there, his arms around her shoulders as he crooned to her in gentle Outlandish. Resting her head against his chest, her ear directly over his heart, she wound her arms around his waist, clinging to his warm, solid, _real_ strength. How could she ever have believed him to be a dream?

"Ye dannae have tae do all this in one wee day, lass," he whispered. "Underland will still be there when we go back. Ah'll understand if ye need more time with ye family, especially ye mither and sister."

Alice smiled softly at how his accent changed words' pronunciations. "That's just the thing," she whispered. "I do not _want_ to wait. I have lived almost my entire life believing Underland was _not_ real, and I am afraid that the longer I spend up here, the more like a dream it will seem again."

His careworn fingers wound gently into her hair. "Ah'll always be here to help ye remember it's real." There was the heavy weight of a promise in his voice, as well as a loving warmth that somehow set her reeling world back to rights again.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply so she could draw in his unique scents of tea, fabric, and wood smoke. Alice could find no words to convey her gratitude and love, so she tightened her arms around his waist and sighed softly in contentment. She couldn't see the Hatter's face from her position, but she knew he was smiling.

A gentle knock sounded on the library door. Hatter squeezed her tighter for a moment, and she was _almost_ sure she felt his lips brush the top of her head as he pulled back. Alice smiled at him and briefly ran her fingers under her eyes to make sure she hadn't shed any tears before she went to the door and opened it. "Lord Ascot," she said, curtsying to him.

"Miss Kingsley," he replied, offering a slight bow. "Mr. -- Hightopp, isn't it?"

Hatter smiled and nodded silently.

Stepping aside so Lord Ascot could enter his own library, Alice nervously gripped her skirts and said, "You were one of my father's most trusted business associates when he was live, Lord Ascot. I wanted to speak with you about a few things in his business before I -- leave."

The lord's eyebrow went up slightly. "And might I ask where you are going, Miss Kingsley?"

Alice glanced over her shoulder to where Tarrant had drifted over to the window to allow her and Lord Ascot a bit of privacy to discuss business, but so he would also be close by if she needed him. "I am returning home with Mr. Hightopp," she said softly. "Where I belong." She saw Hatter's lips curl up slightly and his bow tie fluff out just a tad more before she turned away.

"You are so like your father," Lord Ascot said, a hint of an amused smile on his lips. "Charles was always like that, looking for the next great Adventure. I am pleased to know you have found your own way to follow in his very esteemed footsteps."

Alice knew in that moment that she had chosen wisely. Of all the men her father had called business associates, Lord Ascot was definitely the best to take over and care for the company. "I am following my father's footsteps, after a certain fashion," Alice admitted. "However, I would like to discuss with you a way of extending his own, in honor of his memory and his work."

Interest flared in the elder's eyes. "And what, Miss Kingsley, did you have in mind?"

"China," she said firmly. "We already have a foothold in Hong Kong, and expanding the company's trading route to there would blaze a new trail that everyone else would be hard pressed to follow."

For a moment Alice saw a hint of her father's mischief glinting in Lord Ascot's eyes and smile. "Well, Miss Kingsley, I do believe you have come up with a very interesting idea. Tell me more," he said, stepping over to his desk.

Alice leaned over the map spread there next to him, and for the next hour they finalized the plans that would not only carve her father's name into the history books, but leave a hint of her own legacy behind when she returned home to Underland.

* * *

When Alice and Tarrant left Lord Ascot's library, it was with a great burden eased off the former's shoulders. Her father's company was in good hands, and her mother and sister's futures were secure. Now she felt like she could leave without being concerned about what would happen. Everything was in good hands.

Most of the guests had left by the time they reached the garden again. Lady Ascot and Hamish were nowhere in sight, which made Alice breathe a sigh of relief. Helen and Margaret were sitting in two chairs, Lowell standing next to the latter with a surprisingly protective expression on his face. Maybe he could be redeemed after all.

Margaret looked up when Alice came closer, her eyes drifting from her sister to Tarrant. Though they were slightly red, it looked like she hadn't been crying. Yet. "So it is true, then, little sister?" she asked. "You are leaving us?"

Alice stepped forward to clasp one of her sister's hands in her own. "Margaret, you know I am not happy here. The life of society, of being a lord or earl's wife, is not for me. I am happy with Tarrant."

The Lady Manchester shook her head. "I do not understand you, Alice. How long have you known him?"

"Longer than you think," Alice replied, smiling.

Helen leaned over to take Margaret's other hand. "It is all right, Margaret. Alice will be fine." She smiled first at Alice, than the Hatter, both of whom smiled back. "She will be happy, and safe, and loved. What more could we ask for, dear?"

Abruptly standing, Margaret threw out all her propriety and social graces and threw her arms around her little sister, as she had when they were both young. "I love you, little sister," she whispered.

"I love you too, Margaret," Alice said, hugging her back.

Margaret drew away, but kept her hands clasped around Alice's upper arms. "I will see you again, right?" she whispered.

Alice opened her mouth to respond, but then Hatter was there, his hands resting on her shoulders, a small smile on his lips. "I promise you will," he said softly. "I'll bring her back."

Closing her eyes briefly as if to regain her tenuous control, Margaret smiled and nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

A few minutes later, as Alice and Hatter were walking back towards the rabbit hole, she looked curiously up at him and said, "I thought you wanted me to stay with you in Underland forever."

Tarrant nodded. "I _do_," he said. "But your mother and your sister are important to you. I'd be a _slurvish_ man indeed if I took you away from your family."

She squeezed his hand. "I don't think you could _ever _be selfish," she told him softly.

"Aye, ye see th' good in everyone," he said fondly as they paused next to the entrance to Underland. He brushed the pads of his fingers down her cheek and smiled. "But Ah maun admit, dear Alice, tha' Ah have a wee bi' of a selfish streak in me, nae to mention me jealousy."

Alice smiled up at him and nodded. "I think I can live with that," she said softly, right before his lips met hers again in another kiss that made good shivers run up and down her spine.

Turning, they both faced the rabbit hole. "Would you like to go first, or should I?" Hatter asked.

"I will," Alice said. "But you should know that it is not easy going down as it is going up."

Reaching out, Tarrant secured her hand and smiled. "I have a better idea. We'll go together."

They each drew in a deep breath, then took the plunge back towards home.

* * *

Marmoreal was a more beautiful sight than ever as Hatter and Alice approached it. A flash of white from the balcony above had Alice smiling as she waited for the front gates to open and the wave of their friends to rush toward them.

Sure enough, only a few seconds later the couple was surrounded by Queen Mirana, Thackery, McTwisp, the Tweedles, and even Mally, who was making a surprising amount of noise for someone so small.

Almost everyone was plying Hatter with questions, demanding to know what Otherland was like. Only Mally went straight to Alice and clambered up her skirt, then her arm, to perch on the blonde's shoulder. "We're all glad t' see you back," she said, albeit a bit grudgingly.

Alice smiled at the little white Dormouse. "I believe you're happy to see Hatter back," she said softly.

Mallymkun sighed heavily. "You make 'im 'appy," she said. "Why, I 'aven't seen 'im this happy since the last time you was here, when you were a little thing."

Looking up at this, Alice felt her lips tilt upwards as she saw the brightness in Tarrant's eyes, the way his clothes had perked up and brightened, the way his smile seemed to light up the entire courtyard, brighter than the sun overhead. "How long were we gone, Mally?" she murmured.

Her little paw flexing on her hatpin sword, Mally scowled and said, "Three bloomin' days. What was up there that was so important?"

"My family," Alice said. "My mother and sister. I had to make sure they would be cared for before I came back to -- well -- look after my own interests, if you will."

The Dormouse sighed heavily. "You're too good for yer own good," she muttered, then skittered off to join the hullabaloo around Tarrant, who seemed to only have eyes for her as he answered his friends' questions as if by rote.

Alice smiled at him, the beauty of the White Queen's palace paling in comparison to his fluorescently bright eyes. The sun felt brighter on her face, the scents of the flowers around her grew sharper, and she could already taste on her tongue the tea from the many parties coming in her future.

Yes, she had definitely come _home_.

***~*Five Years Later: Otherland Time*~***

Few had noticed the hole at the base of a tree that looked like any other at the base of a tree on Lord and Lady Ascots' property. It was fortunate that no one was around, because if someone had been watching, they would have observed a man and woman suddenly appear out of the hole, both dressed in unnaturally bright apparel -- the man in hues of purple and turquoise and polka-dots, a top hat on his head, and the woman in varying shades of blue, all of them as equally vivid as her husband's.

They called upon the lady's old friend Lord Ascot, who graciously loaned them a carriage to use while they were there. Whisked away as quickly as possible, they were driven to the Kingsley manor by the Ascots' most trusted footman.

The man was the first to alight from the carriage; he reached back in to help his wife out. They shared a soft smile, then headed up the front walk arm-in-arm. Upon reaching the front door, the woman hesitated, uncertainty showing in her eyes. Her companion said a soft word to her, kissed her cheek, then reached out to rap smartly on the door with bandaged, stained, and bedecked fingers.

A long moment passed, the tension drawing out more and more.

At last the door was opened by an older woman, who looked only slightly more careworn than she had five years previous. Her eyes widened as her gaze shifted from the man -- Tarrant Hightopp -- to the woman -- her daughter, Alice Kingsley-Hightopp -- to the younger woman's swollen belly, in which rested her future grandson or granddaughter.

"Hello, Mother."

_~End Part III~_

_**~The End~**_

_**Once more, thank you all so very much for all the support you've given this story, and I hope this final part didn't disappoint, and Fairfarren to you all till the next great Adventure! ~fyd**_


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